5 Inevitable Phases Every Entrepreneur Goes Through

Trying your hand at being an entrepreneur is very admirable, and dare I say, crazy. The rewards are priceless and the falls are devastating.

You put so much of yourself into a single idea and you over-extend to make sure the idea succeeds. Because you’ve put on your blinders to focus on “making it,” you may not even take stock of the things that happen to you on your entrepreneurial journey.

Here are five things that inevitably happen on the path to becoming an entrepreneur:

You’ll Give Up On Your Idea

Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll always stay determined and persistent when it comes to doing your own thing and building your own empire.

There will be times when the rejection of your idea hits you hard. There will be times when, because nothing’s been happening for a while, you feel like your ideas and plans will never work out.

There will be many downs, and there may be times when you’ll choose to stop working on building it up. This doesn’t mean you’ve quit the dream forever; it just means that you need a break because you’ve taken a lot of hits and need to recover.

You’ll Be Rejected

This is going to take some getting used to, but if you really want to be an entrepreneur, rejection is something you’re going to have to welcome with open arms.

Your ideas, visions, plans and attempts at making your dreams a reality will get thrown down and stomped on by people every day. Friends, family, strangers, investors and bankers will all tell you you’re crazy or your idea won’t work at some point. Some will even tell you there’s no way in hell they’ll support your idea.

Rejection will happen so be ready for it.

You’ll Have Successes

Striking out with investors and people you share your vision with doesn’t come without some high points every once in a while. You never know when life will give you a break and send success your way. Just know that the successes are coming.

You’ll Learn A Lot About Yourself

Running your own business teaches you a lot about your character. You will have some ridiculous highs and some horrible lows when starting up and working on a business. Remember to look back on how you dealt with those situations so you can learn about the kind of person you are.

You’ll learn about your weaknesses and your strengths, so eventually, you can focus on your strengths and delegate your weaknesses to someone else. You’ll also learn to spot personal traits you have that will harm your venture’s future in addition to those that will help it thrive.

You’ll Learn How To Do Only The Things You Want To (Which Are The Only Things You Need To Do)

Now, I’m not advocating shirking responsibilities you’re not fond of outside of your entrepreneurial activities. I’m talking specifically about areas and activities in your organization, the ones you know you won’t give your all to.

On your journey, you’ll learn one of the most powerful words when it comes to taking control of your life: no. You’ll learn that you don’t literally have to say "no" to doing something to get your point across, and you’ll learn how to find people who are better at doing the tasks you don’t like.

It's okay to shuffle around responsibilities once you get into the swing of things.